Russia: "Possibility of Trump-Xi-Putin Trilateral Summit at APEC in November"

Expectations for Discussion on Ukraine, Iran Conflicts

Possible Trump-Kim Jong Un Summit

Shinhwa News Agency

Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser, stated on September 1 (local time) that there is a possibility of a trilateral summit between the United States, China, and Russia during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. If the three-way meeting does take place, it is expected that a wide range of international issues—including the war in Ukraine, the Iran conflict, and North Korea—will be on the agenda.

In an interview with Russia's state-run Vesti TV on the same day, Advisor Ushakov said, "There has been discussion about a possible meeting among the Russian, Chinese, and U.S. leaders at the APEC summit to be held in China in November." He added, "It was discussed when Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their summit during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit."

He further explained, "President Xi mentioned that U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend APEC, and President Putin is also likely to participate as an invited guest." Ushakov stressed, "If the attendance of the leaders goes according to plan, the three leaders may have a meeting." He added, "Even if the trilateral talks do not materialize, there will at least be opportunities for bilateral meetings."

This year's APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen, China, from November 18 to 19. Previously, in July, Marat Verdiyev, Russia's Special Envoy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that President Putin plans to directly lead the Russian delegation and visit China in November for the APEC summit.

The possibility of a meeting among the three leaders at APEC has been raised since the APEC summit held in Gyeongju, South Korea, in October last year. However, the meeting did not materialize at that time because President Putin canceled his trip to Gyeongju and only a high-level Russian delegation attended. Nevertheless, President Trump and President Xi did meet for a bilateral summit during the Gyeongju APEC summit. If the trilateral meeting takes place this time, it is expected to cover, in breadth, international issues such as the war in Ukraine, the Iran conflict, and North Korea.

Some suggest that, in addition to the potential trilateral meeting, President Trump may also seek a separate meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the upcoming APEC summit. Previously, The Wall Street Journal, citing U.S. officials, reported, "There is a possibility that President Trump and Chairman Kim will meet at the November APEC summit," adding, "President Trump has privately discussed pursuing a face-to-face summit with Chairman Kim." Should a bilateral meeting be realized, it would be the fourth in-person summit after their meetings in Singapore in 2018, Hanoi, Vietnam, and Panmunjom in 2019.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.